Evaluating the Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of DF-003 in Healthy Subjects

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics (PK; drug metabolism) of DF-003 after oral administration of single and multiple ascending doses in healthy subjects. The choice of using healthy subjects is standard in establishing the preliminary safety and PK profile of a drug. DF-003 is a potent small molecule inhibitor of alpha-kinase 1 (ALPK1), which plays an important role in immunity and inflammation. DF-003 can inhibit the immune inflammatory response and has been shown to reduce renal fibrosis in preclinical models. Thus, this study aims to determine the role of DF-003 in the treatment of chronic kidney disease. This study will include 2 parts. Part 1 is a single ascending dose (SAD) phase with an optional food effect (FE) assessment, while Part 2 is a multiple ascending dose (MAD) phase. Part 1 - SAD Phase with optional FE assessment will include approximately 64 subjects (up to 8 cohorts of 8 subjects each) and Part 2 - MAD Phase will include approximately 32 subjects (up to 4 cohorts of 8 subjects each). Therefore, up to 96 subjects will be included in the study. Study participants will be screened approximately 42 days within the first scheduled administration of study medication. Screening data will be reviewed to determine subject eligibility. In Part 1, subjects will be randomly assigned to receive a single oral dose of DF-003 (3 x 1 milligram capsules) or matching placebo. The doses to be evaluated in Part 2 will be determined based on review of the available safety and PK data from Part 1. Subjects will be monitored for adverse events (AEs) and data will be collected for physical examination, eye examination, vital signs, 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), Holter monitoring, and clinical laboratory findings at various timepoints throughout the study.